Mind and Body Success

Posted on July 31, 2009 by admin

Through many years and literally thousands of clients, I’ve periodically encountered a client who I just could not figure out how to motivate. Every little victory was quickly undermined by obviously poor choices. One day, I asked such a client, “Can you truly picture yourself achieving your weight loss goal?”

Her answer was no. Hmmm.

What is the likelihood of someone achieving something challenging if they are secretly certain they will never achieve it? Nada. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Goose egg.

So, I began employing visualization into my personal training presentations and follow ups to uncover a potential problem out of the gate. It made a tremendous difference in compliance and success.
Without further ado, here are some tips that changed my life and the lives of many others. Hope you find them as helpful as I did.

Write down your goal(s) and why (if you ink it, you think it). This will make it real.
Write down several affirmations related to your goals, using language that describes it happening or already done. Read this first thing upon waking up and again just before sleep, this way you begin and end the day in a positive mind set to take action on your goals. Examples:
- I am healthy and full of energy
- I am losing unhealthy fat
- I make good food choices
- I am making great progress
- I can see/feel my body changing
- I enjoy the physical activity I can do with my family
- I love how my endurance has increased, etc
If you catch yourself having negative internal (or external) dialogue immediately stop and change the thoughts or words to something positive. Doing this consciously leads to unconscious positive dialogue and thoughts.
If you have 10 minutes in a day to practice a bit of visualization, it can be tremendously valuable
- Sit comfortably and picture yourself in a relaxing place. I like to imagine sitting under a Palapa on the beach in the Caribbean. Work on visualizing all of the details of your surroundings: air temp, slight breeze, sounds. Then, turn this attention to detail to yourself. Picture what you want to look and feel like while you are in this environment. See your healthier, trimmer you. Put as much detail into this picture as you can. This will allow you to program the success or “after” picture in your mind.

Heard the saying, “the body cannot go where the mind has not been”? This is setting up the end point in your mind and it is simply a matter of time until the body catches up. The practice of visualization works and it has been used by THE most successful people in any field throughout history.

You are already thinking of things, you might as well spend a little time and make sure that those thoughts are positive and moving you forward, not holding you back. I know you will do well.

Getting Ripped

Posted on July 29, 2009 by admin

I overheard some folks at the gym the other day talking about abdominal training. They had just finished “torching” their abs and were discussing how different exercises affected their abdominal development. Most of the discussion centered on how one exercise or another was responsible for ripped abs. One of the fellows mentioned how they were amazed at a friend that has “shredded” abs, even though he doesn’t work out.

This scenario is a popular one, and a key to the mystery of great abs lies in their final observation of their non-working out friend. To have defined abs, or any muscle for that matter, requires low body fat. Everyone has muscle; it is just that there are varying amounts of body fat that people carry over that muscle. Shredded is a term that describes very low body fat levels. This is achieved by consistently eating fewer calories than you burn, while ideally meeting your nutrient and protein needs (so as not to lose muscle). The point here is that it is not the specific exercise you do that makes you lean, it is simply that you exercise (calorie burning). But that is not enough; you must be in a calorie deficit as well. Exercisers who eat too many calories are quite common. They are the ones NOT seeing results consistently while getting frustrated, leading them to seek out the magic exercise or system. The friend the gym members spoke of? He was obviously an active person who controlled his calorie intake, whether consciously or not. Obviously it wasn’t exercise that led to his ripped abs, right?

So, if you are stuck at a plateau and are not happy with your muscle definition, eat less. Or move more. Or both. You will begin to see results. As you lose the fat over your muscles, they will become more “defined”. It doesn’t get much simpler than that.

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-26

Posted on July 26, 2009 by admin

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Inherited survival mechanisms have no place in our land of plenty – we just
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After over 100,000 years of starvation, our species woke up one day in a
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Weight Loss & Hypothyriodism

Posted on July 23, 2009 by admin

There definitely is evidence that adrenal stress and hypothyroidism affects some people’s ability to lose weight. In fact, environmental conditions these days such as stress, food, infections, toxic load, etc. can alter energy metabolism and result in fatigue and difficulty losing weight. Poor functioning thyroid glands may make it more difficult to comply with appropriate calories because of a slowing metabolism, but it will not stop anyone from losing weight as long as you consume fewer calories than you burn. With that said, here are a few tips to help the process.

Increase daily activities – standing or pacing instead of sitting, house chores, gardening, playing with kids, etc.
Increase daily steps – wear a pedometer and gradually increase the number of steps per day.
Increase workout time or intensity
Vary exercise activities
Decrease food intake approximately 100-200 calories/day and repeat this reduction if after two weeks there is no change in weight, body composition or circumference measurements
Incorporate more fiber rich foods that help fill you up – whole grains, fruits and vegetables
Track daily calories and portions

It’s important to seek medical advice is you suspect a thyroid condition because proper treatment restores thyroid hormone levels and metabolism. Bottom line – if you can’t eat much, move more and be very careful with what you do eat so you get the biggest bang for your buck. Foods rich in water and fiber will provide the most food with the fewest calories and incorporating activity throughout the day will help boost your calorie burn.

Have you seen menus with the calories on it? WOW! What a difference a little info makes

Posted on July 23, 2009 by admin

I was sitting outside in sunny southern California in the patio of a popular restaurant. It was a gorgeous evening – 80 degrees, sun was setting and I was decompressing from a day at the office, waiting for friends. As I checked out the menu, I noticed that the calorie content of every dish and most beverages was right next to each item. WOW! I was blown away at the calorie content of some of the dishes – the salads, in particular. What was more amazing was the impact this had on my behavior. And the reason it had such a big impact was because I knew two critical pieces of information for weight control: 1) How many calories I burned that day and 2) how many calories I had eaten already. So, I knew how many calories I could eat in order to avoid gaining weight that day. And guess what? I made my dinner choice based on that information. What would I have done otherwise? I would’ve went for my favorite salad (BBQ chicken) and been way over my calorie limit for the day. Translation – I would’ve gained weight.

This experience completely reinforces one of dotFIT’s core messages – you CAN manage your weight if you have the right information to help you make decisions (we call this cognitive control). And I’m sure you’ve heard the saying “You can’t manage what you don’t measure.” I think that’s why keeping a food log is the most powerful weight control tool yet- tracking the calorie content of the foods you eat makes all the difference, just like it did for me at this restaurant. Even better – knowing your calorie balance (how much you’re burning versus eating). So kudos to California Pizza Kitchen for publishing the calories on their menus. Other places are doing the same and we hope to see the entire food and restaurant industry follow suit. Remember, it’s much easier to eat too much than to cut back and it seems the only way (besides surgery) to properly control your weight is to use your brain – by seeing or knowing how much you burn, how much you eat and how many calories is contained in food you can then adjust your behavior. If you choose not to do this, you’re highly likely to pack on the pounds as you get older…. Look around, do you know anyone who stays lean without trying? If you do, I guarantee they’re the exception, not the rule.

Take control – it’s never too late to start, it’s always too late to wait.

Kat Barefield, MS RD

Multivitamins, are they beneficial?

Posted on July 21, 2009 by admin

Something never ceases to amaze me when it comes to media reports and how news organizations attempt to dissect information and give it to the public. I’m referring to the recent reports regarding the supposed “ineffectiveness” of multivitamin formulas. Someone help me here – this is a broken record that someone really needs to finally throw away. A recent study’s headline went something like this – “No value in taking multivitamins.” Now what does that really mean and what did they truly test? Nothing on both counts. In fact, the only thing they proved in that study was that post-menopausal women taking anything from a single vitamin to a mass-market produced multivitamin formula taken at least once a month showed no improvement in the onset of chronic disease. DUH!!! Talk about misleading headlines. Remember, multivitamins are not designed to fix or prevent something “after the fact” but rather give you the stuff you can’t and don’t eat on a daily basis, not monthly! Give me a break already!

Oh yeah, the most recent study found just the opposite. Data from nearly 80,000 people who used multivitamins for 10 years showed that the use of multivitamin formulas were associated with 16 and 28 percent decreased risk of death from cardiovascular disease. And not only that, but scientists from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences found that the cells of those who take multivitamins may have a younger biological age than cells of those who don’t take them. HELLO!!!! Check it out yourself (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (June 2009, Vol. 89, pp. 1857-1863).

I hate to say I told you so, but take your multi – everyday! And if you want more details, check out this article http://www.dotfit.com/shop/article.aspx?atid=1545

Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-19

Posted on July 19, 2009 by admin

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Twitter Weekly Updates for 2009-07-12

Posted on July 12, 2009 by admin

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About Meal Replacements

Posted on July 9, 2009 by admin

Eat like the pros

You’ve probably been told or have at least heard that you should not skip meals. In fact, you may have heard you should eat 5-6 smaller meals a day. If done properly it is true that it can be helpful, and the trainers and fitness minded folks who generally give this advice definitely benefit from it. However, life is tough. There never seems to be enough hours in a day. You’re not even hungry half the time. Well, don’t despair. You want to know the trick that trainers use to get those 5-6 meals a day? Want to employ an aid that is associated with successfully losing more weight and keeping it off longer?

Meal Replacements! You know all of those bars and powdered shake mixes? That’s what I’m talking about. Despite the bewildering marketing, they are not magic, but they are a tremendous help in developing a real life, sustainable plan to lose weight, keep it off and/or perform your best.

Why do they work?

Some of the biggest problems people have today are

They don’t eat when they should, so hunger makes eating decisions (and not smart ones) for them
They eat with their eyes, clean their plate or eat portions that are way too big
They get in a hurry and grab whatever is convenient (usually junk food)

Meal replacements solve for common problems associated with trying to eat healthier and properly to lose weight. dotFIT meal replacement bars and shakes can

Provide a portion-controlled meal. There are no second helpings and the calories on the label are accurate!
Allow for ideal timing of calories and nutrition. Pre- and post-workout are great times for a meal replacement/snack as they give you the energy you need for a productive workout and help you recover better so you see the result sooner.
Provide quick and convenient nutrition in times of hunger instead of fast food, as a guiltless dessert and as a good-for- you snack.
Help to reduce overall calorie intake as a meal substitute or increase calories as nutritious snacks.
help you be prepared for life’s little unexpected hassles — a delayed flight, working late, no time to eat, off your normal schedule.

As a long time exerciser and trainer, I can tell you that people in my industry plan for the worst and make meal replacements a fact of life. I never go on a road trip or flight without a stash of bars in my bag (cheaper and way better tasting than airline/airport food). As a trainer working 10-12hr days, the only way to stay fed was to knock back a shake or two between clients. Only takes a minute and you are good to go for several hours. And you never have to worry about eating properly before and after a workout. Like the Cub Scout motto, always be prepared!

The Power of Why

Posted on July 7, 2009 by admin

I was having a conversation with a trainer the other day and they were sharing with me the approach they take regarding nutrition. I found myself asking a few questions, not to be a pain, but to see what the rationale was for their approach to nutrition. Yet, rather than answer or say “I do not know”, the trainer just threw out another bit of nutrition advice/mythology, ultimately realizing they did not know why they were making the recommendations or the validity.

Here’s how it went down:

Trainer: I have my clients avoid simple sugars.

Me: Why?

Trainer: Well I tell them to avoid processed carbs.

Me: Why?

Trainer: I have them focus on low glycemic carbs.

Me: (giving up on asking why) Do you know what the glycemic index is?

At this point the trainer thanks me for making them feel stupid, their spouse interjects and tells them to quit arguing with me and I still haven’t gotten any answers!

So, this simple conversation ends up being an inquisition and I look like the bad guy, simply because I asked “why”. Why is a fair question, isn’t it? I did not necessarily disagree with the trainer, I just wanted to know if they knew the rationale behind the recommendation, and also to hear how they explain it (never know when you’ll hear a good way of doing it). Why, as an advisor and professional, would you tell someone to do something you don’t really understand or know is true?

This is a troubling situation for me. As fitness professionals, we must attempt to understand the science behind our recommendations. It is our responsibility. It is not sufficient to take someone’s word for it; we need to know if the information is accurate. At times, certain bits of information are rather self-evident or an ample amount of supporting data is available and easily understood by most people, but at some point the person dispensing advice should know the truth behind what they say, if for no other reason than peace of mind that you are doing and saying the right things. It is important to know the why.

At dotFIT, we understand that there is a lot of information that you are exposed to everyday. To make matters worse, it is difficult to determine what is right, what is wrong and what is possibly dangerous. To add to the confusion, where does the information come from and how was it delivered? With the internet, anyone with a computer and an ability to write and design a web site can create a presence that looks professional and knowledgeable, and can pass themselves off as an expert. If you look at our staff and advisory board, you will see that we are able to pull education and experience from a tremendously talented and knowledgeable lot. Our mission is to wade through the sea of science, fact and opinion and mythology and come up with a position and a plan. All of our online tools, from education to programs integrate the latest and greatest knowledge of human nutrition and exercise and what it takes to make a change and achieve a goal. You can feel confident that what you are seeing, hearing or reading is the most up-to-date application of science and experience out there.

So, go ahead, ask “why?” We have answers.

Stronger Everyday

a blog from the dotFIT team

Monthly Archives: July 2009